Breaking Free
by sick-atxxheart
Summary: In an attack against Grimmauld Place, Hermione is the only one taken captive. Tortured heavily, she fights not to give up any information, feuling her strength with hope. But can an unexpected ally save her from the worst? SS/HG. Was jasmine-leigh's.
1. Prologue

**Breaking Free  
prologue**

Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, the entire Weasley family, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin were all trying to relaxing at Number 12, Grimmauld Place over the break. Trying would be the main word, as all were extremely busy with different tasks to help with the war.

Hermione, as always, was locked away in the library, ready with a quick harsh word to reprimand anyone who tried to disturb her from her beloved books. She came down only for meals, stopping now and then to sleep. She was so focused on assisting with the war that both Harry, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley were worried about her; but she refused for anyone to take her away from what she so dearly loved.

Ron, Harry, Fred, and George were all constantly trying out and creating new Weasleys' merchandise. Sirius was known to chip in now and then with an idea or two, causing even more madness and mayhem with his crazy ideas. After only a few days of this, Mrs. Weasley was ready to throttle the twins with her bare hands. Not only was she ready to do that, but she was also going through the Black house, room by room, cleaning everything in reach along the way.

Lupin, similarly to Hermione, was also mainly found in the library finding new spells and curses for the battle they all knew would come eventually. Sirius was a huge fan of this, but he was mainly found looking around the house for items which could be used to help defeat the Death Eaters and evil man himself- Voldemort, along with Hermione and Lupin's research.

Around three weeks after ariving at the Black house there was an Order of the Phoenix meeting. Things had just began to die down when suddenly , there was a loud bang and a sudden flurry of activity downstairs. Nearly everyone in the house was downstairs, but Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George weren't. As they came scrambling down the stairs to see what the commotion was about, they were greeted with the sight of Severus Snape- Potions Master, Order spy, and most hated teacher at Hogwarts.

The normally calm, composed man was yelling at the top of his voice, the sily smooth quality it usually had gone. "There are Death Eaters on the way! Fletcher betrayed us!" Leaving the house in an uproar of panic, the man Disapparated. Whether he was leaving for his own safety or going to get help, no one could tell.

Everyone seemed to be frozen in time when a bang came from the front door. Mrs. Weasley was the first to come out of it; she began to yell as loud as she could, "Everyone you know what to do! Get out of here!"

Ron and Ginny were the first out, holding a Portkey in the form of a teacup. Fred and Harry were next, with Mrs. Weasley and George following in quick succesion. The last three to go were Lupin, Sirius, and Hermione holding a teacup shaped Portkey, Fred and Harry were next. The next two to follow them was Mrs weasley and George. The last three were Lupin, Sirius and Hermione, but Hermione was nowhere to found as they were preparing to leave with the last Portkey. She came down the stairs, wand at the ready, as she heard the bangs at the door. She scrambled into the living room just in time to see the front door blow open. The new view revealed a large number of Death Eaters, their masks scaring the living daylights out of Hermione as she threw her hands up, squealing, as hexes were immediately shot full-speed at her. She saw Remus and Sirius, holding the now-blue portkey. She cried out to them and was about to reach it just in the nick of time when someone grabbed her arms, preventing her from moving and reaching the two men she looked up to. She screamed and screamed, but she couldn't break free of her captor and as they sped off to their destination the last thing they heard was her heart-wrenching scream.

Hermione began to kick, fight and struggle as the two Death Eaters held her. She was gradually turned around to see a man with startling blond hair making his way towards her. He put out his hand and grabbed hold of her chin. She tried to wrench out of his grasp but was unable to.

"Hello, my dear mudblood. Long time no see," came the mocking voice, the last thing she heard before falling unconscious.

--

**I adopted this story from jasmine-leigh. Please review.**


	2. Chapter One

**Breaking Free  
**chapter one

"Where is she?!" Harry yelled, his panic showing obviously through the panic in his voice as everyone stared at everyone else with scared looks on their faces. Ron replied in a similar tone, "I thought she was with you!" The room was buzzing with commotion as Ginny tried to calm everyone, but her attempts were proving unsuccesful as she herself was not that calm either.

A sudden loud 'bang' from down the hallway attracted everyone's attention, and the commotion was suspended for a moment or two before everyone ran towards the noise, which had dissolved into the figures of Remus and Sirius. "Hermione!" Harry cried, looking desperately from his godfather to his friend as Ron added to the plea, "Is she with you?"

"Who?" Remus said, eyes downward. Everyone could tell he was stalling, and no one was having any of it.

"_Hermione_!" Practically the whole group cried out, looking angry and at the same time scared. They all knew that if one of their own was taken, it would not be a good thing- in fact, it would be horrible.

At Hermione's name, Sirius paled and Remus simply continued looking sullenly at the floor, and everyone noticed. Mrs. Weasley, her motherly instincts and also her fear taking over, said angrily, her voice and the glint in her eyes leaving no room for movement. "_Where. Is. She?!_"

After a moment, Sirius' quiet answer was what caused the most pandemonium. "She was taken," he said simply. "I'm sorry."

In that moment, the room exploded in a flurry of chaos, activity, and chatter that never seemed to stop. Everyone was talking about rescue attempts, especially Sirius, Ron, and Harry; Ginny had begun crying, along with Mrs. Weasley; Fred, George, and Remus were stony-faced and shocked; and everything had fallen into turmoil until a man with a long white beard appeared in the room and with his words quieted everyone.

"Everyone, I think it is obvious that we have a problem."

The Weasley family, along with Harry, Sirius, and Remus, were all looking at Dumbledore like he was crazy for pointing out the inevitable obvious. However, Dumbledore continued speaking.

"There will be no rescue attempts. I have my own sources already working on the issue, and for the time being we may rest assured that Miss Graner is a brave and strong young woman who knows more magic that almost anyone in this room. I have complete confidence in her strength, courage, and bravery that she will not give in."

At that, Harry looked about to explode; however, to almost everyone's surprise, Sirius was the one who voiced his opinions, mostly because he felt guilty for leaving her behind, even if he hadn't had a choice. "_Have you gone CRAZY?!"_

Harry finally got his word in, crying, "She is probably being tortured or worse as we speak!"

"I am not crazy," Dumbledore said calmly. "I must think of everyone else though, and rushing off to save her in an attempt that would almost definitely not work is not wise. There will be no more attempts at rescue- I assure you that someone I trust is working on the issue as we speak. Now please, calm down, and I must bid you all a good day." With that the old man departed, leaving behind a group of completely shocked and furious wizards and witches who could not believe the attitude the old man had taken towards the tragedy.

--

Hermione groaned as she woke up and found herself in a damp, dark room that seemed to have the lingering scent of dried blood, and, although it didn't even seem possible, the feelings of fear and pain. As the door creaked open and a figure was revealed standing in the doorway, Hermione was hit by the fact that it would have been more prudent to everyone if she had died back at Headquarters. But her Gryffindor pride revolted against that statement, and she mentally berated herself for even allowing herself to feel weak.

The figure took a step forward, and Hermione held her breath as she recognized the second figure that followed into the room. A pale white face and redder-than-blood eyes- Voldemort, the one person Hermione had never hoped to see when she was alone and defenseless, if ever. Hermione had to remind herself to breathe as her heart seemed to be caught in her throat.

"Ahh my little Mudblood, how are you today?" Lucius Malfoy, the first figure, his blond hair showing even in the dark of the room, said coldly, mockingly.

"Better than you, you inbred ferret!" Was her quick reply, her anger and resentment for the two men showing in her words, even though she knew in her heart that defying them was unwise and could only bring more pain than what was already coming. Nevertheless, Hermione was a proud character and would never lower herself to being pushed around by anyone, if she had any say in it.

Malfoy stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face, fury showing evidently in his grey/black eyes. "You shouldn't speak to your betters like that, girl," he said coldy, his nager rising.

"Well," Hermione said defiantly, her cheek stinging, "I'm afraid I can't really see anyone better than me at the moment." This reply earned her another hard slap from Lucius, which Hermione recieved wih strength- but what stung was the fact that Voldemort stood back laughing, a quiet foreshadowing of what was to come.

"Bring her to me, Lucius," came the cold, high voice of Voldemort from across the room. Lucius grabbed Hermione by her busy hair, pulling her across the room to the man who had already killed so many and wouldn't think twice about ending the life of an innocent little girl.

"You have two choices, my dear," Voldemort said calmly, coldy, his red eyes glinting with excitement. "You can either tell us what we need to know or join us, or choose not to tell us and we will get it out of you and then kill you. The choice is yours."

Hermione didn't even think about it. "I choose option one," she said, just as calmly. "You will never get anything out of me, you bloody murderous prat!" Her sarcastic attitude earning her yet another slap. But her Gryffindor courage had began to return, and her defiance was the only way she felt she had a say in her fate.

"Incellent little Mudblood!" Voldemort sneered. "Lucius, you may have your fun, but make sure you get information out of it- and keep her alive. I want to have my fun too, of course..." With those words he left the room angrily, leaving a very scared Hermione with a very evil Lucius, wand at the ready.

--

Hermione whipped around as she heard more people enter the room. Another group of Death Eaters, what looked to be perhaps ten, maybe less, came running into the room when Malfoy had yelled the affirmative that it was now time for their fun.

"Crucio!" The curse was yelled, and with it came the most horrendous and nearly unbearable pain that wracked through her body, causing her to curl up in a ball on the floor in an unconscious attempt to protect herself. Willing herself not to scream, drawing on her bravery, she heard through the void one of the Death Eaters say, "Aww, she didn't scream!"

"No matter," Lucius replied with a smile. "We are going to play a game, my little Mudblood! Are you ready? The game is to see who can get you to scream the loudest...."

With the laughs that resounded around the room, Hermione prepared herself for the most painful night she would probably ever face.

--

**Please review. As always, this is a re-written chapter from jasmine-leigh.**


	3. Chapter Two

**Thanks to all who caught my mistake in the last chapter. I actually haven't decided if I will make her choose one or two. I will change it if necessary, and let you know.**

--

Hermione hurt all over- her legs and her arms screamed in pain, and her head seemed to be vibrating with hurt. The past few hours had been hell- first Lucius Malfoy, his blond hair shining arrogantly, had had his fun with her, and from those little 'incidents' she knew that her leg was probably broken. After he had 'finished', his little Death Eater friends had headed in for their own playtime.

By that time Hermione had given up on her no-crying-out-loud rule. The pain was too much to restrain herself- Merlin, Crucio hurt, but Crucio accompanied by all the other things the evil men made her do- it just doubled the pain level, and rocketed it ten times past unbearable.

Her only consolation in this time of great despair was that she hadn't told them anything. As much as those thoughts comforted her mind and maybe even her soul, her defiance against the Death Eaters only hurt her body, and nothing she did could or would stop the pain.

By her calculations she had been in this hellhole for at least two days- two days of constant pain, she thought angrily to herself. Moving even in the slightest bit hurt, and everything seemed to be bleeding constantly. Hermione, from her studies, knew quite a few healing spells, and through her limited knowledge of both them and wandless magic, she tried to heal herself; but she only succeeded to heal a few of the smaller cuts before she had completely exhausted herself. The next time the Death Eaters came to her again, more cuts than what she had healed would be added. Eventually, she realized there was no point.

Maybe Malfoy was right, Hermione thought to herself. Why haven't Harry and Ron come yet? Maybe they don't need me. Maybe… maybe they don't want me, and never did.

_**FLASHBACK**_

She lay on the floor bleeding, blood covering the floor and her hair matted from dirt, grime, and blood. Malfoy was standing over her, laughing, his wand raised. "Why don't they come for you, little girl?" His cruel, wicked laugh scared her, and she trembled violently. "Maybe they finally realized what you are, a filthy Mud-Blood not worthy of anyone's time!"

"No! They will come, I know they will!" It took all her strength to scream the words at him, and once she had he kicked her in the face before continuing.

"No, my dear." He spat on her face angrily, his eyes betraying true hatred and malice. "They will not come for you. You are a filthy Mud-Blood traitor- that's all you are, and they know it."

The torture continued, but in Hermione's mind the worst part was that she wondered if he was right.

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

Maybe he is right, Hermione thought again, curling up painfully in a little ball, careful not to scratch her cuts as much as possible on the cold, hard stone floor. Harry has Ginny, and Ron has Lavender. They don't need me, and I have no one.

She cried herself to sleep that night, along with all the others, searching for the life she had left behind and would probably never have again.

--

"Dumbledore!" Sirius' voice was angry from behind the closed door, and the whole house winced as his sound waves vibrated throughout it. "Come on! She's been with them for a full two days. She could- and probably is- tortured, or worse, and could be hurt as we speak!" Inside the house, everyone grinned. Leave it to Sirius to voice what they all were thinking.

Dumbledore sighed deeply. "What do you expect me to do, Sirius? We have no way of getting in there, and you know it. If we had a way, I would have brought Hermione home long ago."

"What about Snape? He could go in there and get her."

Dumbledore sighed again. He had already had this conversation with Harry and Ron, and they had been just as adamant. "Sirius, we can't risk it. If he is caught, then we lose the best ranked spy in Voldemort's group, and we can't shoulder that loss. The information he gives us is extremely helpful in this war, and we save many people every day by using it."

"So what you are saying," Sirius said, looking at Dumbledore, his voice low and his eyes dangerous, "is that we sacrifice Hermione to save other people."

Dumbledore hesitated, but after a minute, he said in a leveled tone, "Yes, that is ultimately what would happen."

Sirius slamming out of the room was the only noise that followed.

--

**Please review.**


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